turning favorite international recipes vegetarian, one dish at a time

One day we were staring at our pantry after a fun but tiresome trip. We did not have the energy to go grocery shopping, but we had to make something to feed ourselves! We had all the ingredients for a hummus dip, but Delphine’s suggestion about adding the black bean turned out to be an awesome decision. We used pepper paste to add a unique zing. A true Mediterranean-American fusion. Ladies and gentlemen… Meet Black Velvet Hummus:

1 can of chickpeas, drain half of the liquid (if you don’t want to consume the juice in the can, use water instead)

1 can black beans, washed and drained

5 black olives, pitted

1 teaspoon cumin

1.5 tablespoon garlic

1.5 tablespoon red pepper paste

¾ teaspoon salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Put all the ingredients in a food processor or a blender. Run it for about 30 seconds until it turns in to, well, a dip. Make sure you have enough corn chips or pita breads, or you will end up licking your fingers all day.

Toasted Amber Hummus Dip Variation:

Below is a lighter version of the above Black Velvet Hummus Dip, also a rich, delicious Mediterranean-American fusion. Make the dip using the instructions above, except: